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Bruno Itan

A photographer who observed the results of an extensive Brazilian police operation in the metropolitan area has recounted how local people came back with disfigured remains of those who had died.

The victims "continued arriving: the count kept increasing", Bruno Itan reported. The total contained those of police officers.

A particular victim had been decapitated - while others appeared "totally disfigured", he said. Numerous victims displayed evidence of stab wounds.

In excess of 120 victims were fatally injured during Tuesday's raid against a criminal group - the deadliest such raid Rio has experienced.

Bruno Itan explained that he was first alerted about the operation early on Tuesday by community members of the Alemão neighbourhood, who reached out alerting him an armed confrontation was occurring.

The photographer made his way to a local medical facility, where the bodies were arriving.

The photographer stated that the police blocked media personnel from entering the operation zone, where the operation were taking place.

"Law enforcement personnel formed a line and announced: 'Journalists doesn't get past here'."

However, the photographer, who was raised in the area, stated he managed to make his way past the security perimeter, where he continued through the night.

He explained that Tuesday night, community members started looking the mountainous area that separates the community of Penha and the nearby Alemão neighbourhood for family members who were unaccounted for following the security action.

Residents of the Penha neighbourhood arranged the located casualties in a square - the photographer's images show the emotions of the gathered crowd.

"The brutality of it all impacted me a lot: the grief of loved ones, mothers fainting, women carrying children, sobbing, angry family members," the reporter recounted.

Bruno Itan

The state leader of the region stated that the massive police operation deploying about 2,500 law enforcement members was designed to preventing an illegal organization known as Comando Vermelho from growing their influence.

At first, local officials claimed that "60 suspects and four police officers" lost their lives in the operation.

Authorities later reported that early calculations indicates that 117 alleged criminals were fatally injured.

Rio's public defender's office, which provides legal assistance to disadvantaged individuals, has estimated the total number of people killed as 132.

According to researchers, the gang is the only criminal group which in recent years has succeeded to expand its territory throughout Rio state.

It is widely considered one of the two largest gangs in the country, alongside a rival criminal group, and has a history extending half a century.

According to reporter an expert, who has been covering criminal activity in the city extensively, Red Command "works as a system" with area gang leaders forming part of the gang and acting as "commercial associates".

The gang engages primarily in narcotics distribution, additionally trafficking firearms, precious metals, fuel, alcohol smoking products.

Based on official reports, organization members are well armed and authorities stated that while the action was underway, they came under attack from explosive-laden drones.

The governor of the region, the government representative, labeled Red Command members as "narcoterrorists" and referred to the law enforcement personnel killed in the raid as brave public servants.

However, the count of casualties during the raid has received condemnation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stating they were "shocked".

At a news conference the following day, the official justified security actions.

"There was no objective to result in deaths. We aimed to take suspects into custody without harm," he stated.

He added that the circumstances intensified because the suspects resisted aggressively: "It occurred of the retaliation they executed and the disproportionate use of force by the illegal group."

The official additionally stated that the bodies shown by residents in the area were "altered".

Via a statement through digital channels, he said that certain victims had been taken of the camouflage clothing that he stated they possessed "to transfer accusation onto the police".

A law enforcement representative of Rio's civil police force additionally stated that tactical gear, vests, and weapons" had been removed from the victims and displayed evidence apparently demonstrating a man stripping military attire {off a corpse